Treehouse

Chapter 1: Cootie catchers and sleepovers

It was a Friday night, and TJ and Cyrus were wishing they were with each other, but instead, they were video chatting since Cyrus was at his grandmother's house for the rest of the weekend.

Amber burst through TJ's door and said, "Teej, it's your turn to take out the trash."

He turned to her. "Wasn't it Lilia's turn?"

"It was hers last week." She said, and before TJ could say anything, she looked at Cyrus. "Hey, Cy."

"Hey, Amber. Wow, still not used to the whole you and TJ being siblings thing. Or you having other siblings. Or principal Metcalf being your dad."

"Oh, come on, you found out a month ago. That's enough time to let it sink in." She told him.

He had found out at Andi's party, the day he and TJ became a couple. He still remembered the day as if it was yesterday.

"Still a lot of information to process." He said. "I mean, you guys didn't even tell me!"

"Well, that's your fault for not asking us," Amber said.

"TJ! The trash isn't gonna move by itself, you know?" They heard Metcalf yell.

"All right, I'm going!" TJ yelled back. He turned to Cyrus and said, "I'll be back in a sec."

TJ made his way down the stairs, quickly making his way to the trash can while his dad talked to him.

"While I am so happy that you and Cyrus are a couple, you can't keep neglecting your responsibilities just to spend time with him."

"I know, dad." He said, taking the trash bag outside to the garbage can.

When he went back inside, Oliver asked, "Is Marty coming over? Haven't seen him in a while."

"That's because he's too busy with Buffy," TJ said.

"Mmm. I bet he says the same thing about you and Cyrus." Metcalf replied.

TJ chuckled, shaking his head, and asked, "How's Victor?"

Metcalf smiled. "Why do you want to know?"

"He's your boyfriend. Why else would I want to know?"

He had first met Victor at Red Rooster, where he had noticed him playing guitar at one of Bowie's lessons. Oliver had his own love for playing guitar. Especially electric since he was the lead guitarist in the rock band he was in his twenties. He had missed a tattoo appointment since he spent almost all day talking to Victor, and from there, their relationship blossomed.

"He's good," Metcalf said. "We're good."

"I'm glad you're happy, dad."

"I'm glad you're happy too. I know it wasn't exactly easy to accept I was seeing somebody after your mom."

"You deserve to be happy, dad, and if Victor makes you happy, then I'm happy."

Metcalf smiled and put his arms out for a hug.

TJ smiled, returning the hug, but that only lasted a few seconds before he heard Amber laughing in his room.

"That's my queue to leave," TJ said, backing away from the hug.

As he reached his room, they both went silent, and Cyrus was the first to break, bursting into laughter, Amber not too far behind.

"What's going on?" TJ asked, panicking.

What had Amber done this time?

"I just told him a story." She said.

"What story?" He asked, going over to shoo her away from his seat.

"The one where you saw dad shave, so you decided to shave as well, but you cut yourself. You said you wanted to be like dad." She laughed.

TJ groaned. "Amber, get out."

"Fine, but I will definitely be texting him some more embarrassing stories behind your back.""Yeah? Well, two can play at your game." TJ said. He turned to look at Cyrus. "One time when Amber was 8, she went to a sleepover and her friend's mom had to call dad to tell him that she had peed her pants after having a nightmare."

Amber glared at him, gesturing with her fingers that he was watching him. "You better watch your back, Thelonious." and with that, she was out of his bedroom.

"Amber is a force to be reckoned with." He heard Cyrus say.

TJ chuckled. "You're telling me? I've lived with her my whole life."

Suddenly, Lilia came into his room.

"Aw, the famous Cyrus my baby brother has been yelling about for the past two years?"

"You must be Lilia," Cyrus said. "I haven't heard much about you, to be honest."

"Well, I'm seventeen, I'm bi, dad's favorite child of course."

TJ scoffed, "Far from it."

"Better watch your mouth, Thelonious." She said, messing up his hair.

TJ moved away. "Hey, not the hair."

Lilia groaned, wiping her hand on his shirt. "You put too much gel on your hair. It looks better without it."

Cyrus's eyes widened, as did the smile plastered over his face.

TJ shook his head. "No, not happening! I like it just the way it is."

"I've never seen you without any gel, come on." Cyrus pleaded.

He wouldn't budge. "No, no way."

"Oh, wait 'till you see him with glasses." Lilia continued.

He looked at her and said, "No, Lilia, get out."
"Fine, peace out, gays." She said, putting up a peace sign with both of her hands.

"Why does nobody close my door in this house?" He yelled as he got up.

As he was about to close the door, Kip walked in, biting his leash.

"Hey, Kip, what's up, boy? You wanna go to the bathroom?" He asked the German Shepherd. He turned back to his computer and said, "I'm sorry, Cy, I have to go walk Kip."

"It's fine. I have to study for one of my classes anyway." Cyrus said.

"I'll make it up to you for our date in three days."

He sighed. "I can't believe our monthaversary is on a Monday of all days."

"Yeah, but look on the bright side. We're going to be seeing each other."

"Yeah." He smiled. "I can't wait for that. I think Buffy and Marty's monthiversary is also in three days, so maybe we could have a double date?"

"Yeah, that'd be cool," TJ said.

Kip started whining, lifting his paw to TJ's lap. "Ok, ok, I'm going." He told him, putting his leash on him. He turned to Cyrus, and said, "Bye, Cy. See you on Monday," and ended the video chat.After Kip did his business on a nearby tree, TJ heard a voice call out to him.
"Yo, TJ! Long time, no see."

It was Marty.

"That's because you're always hanging out with Buffy," TJ said.

"I could say the same about you and Cyrus."

They walked alongside each other

"Our one month is coming up on Monday, Cyrus had the idea of having a double date with you two. What do you say?"

"That'd be pretty cool. I'll talk to Buffy." He said. "Actually, can I talk to you? I have a lot on my mind."
"Yeah, of course. Any time, dude." TJ said. "Do you want to go to the treehouse?"

"Yes, please. I'll just text my mom real quick."

As soon as they stepped into the house and TJ unleashed Kip, he went running for his toy and started aggressively toying around with it.

Metcalf saw him and said, "Marty, I had no idea you were coming."

"I was just in the neighborhood." He joked. He had lived across from the Kippens since he was 6.They went to the backyard and climbed the ladder to the treehouse. Oliver had built it for them when they were five since they kept pestering him about wanting one. Soon, when they became friends with Marty, the three never came down from there.

"So, what's up?" TJ asked as they settled down on some beanbags.

He looked at TJ, "I've been planning on telling Buffy."

"She's going to accept you, Martin."

"What if she doesn't? Some people don't want a trans boyfriend."
"She's not that kind of person," TJ said. "You know that, Marty."

"That's what I thought before my dad left."
"She is nothing like your dad. She's not gonna leave you because you revealed a part of yourself you can't change."

They heard a knock through the door on the floor. It was Amber.

"Hey, gays." She said.

"You're gay too, Amber," TJ said.

"I know." She said, and she closed the door and sat on it. "What's up?"

"Trying to hype him up to get him to believe the truth, that Buffy will be there for him no matter what. He wants to come out to her."

"He's right, you know? She will be there for you no matter what, Marty. We're here for you for whatever you decide."

"Thank you." He said. "If it's ok with you guys and your dad, can I stay here? Just for the night."

"Yeah, we'll just have to ask him, but I'm sure he'll say yes," TJ said.

"Thanks, I don't know what I'd do without you two."

"We can even have a sleepover here like old times," Amber said in a hopeful tone.

Marty smiled at her suggestion. "That would be great." He turned to face TJ and said, "What do you say, Teej?"

"Of course! But I'm picking the movie."

"Why do you always get to pick it?" Amber argued.

"What do you mean? I never get to pick it. It's always you two!"

"You know, we could always pick it like old times," Marty said.

Whenever they were in a disagreement, they would always make a cootie catcher and settled it that way.

TJ sighed. "Fine"

A few minutes after Amber, and TJ went inside and got everything they needed for their sleepover.

In the end, the cootie catcher chose "Bohemian Rhapsody," which they were all fine with even though they'd seen it when it came out. They sang along with all the songs, TJ never missing a lyric since Queen was one of his all-time favorite bands since he was a kid.

By the end of the movie, they couldn't help but fall asleep. It was comfy in the treehouse. Hanging along the walls were fairy lights, and pictures decorated the ceiling.

The first picture they had put on there was taken when Marty had asked them to cut his hair. It was summer going to sixth grade. He'd come out to his parents, his father had left, and it was a surprise for his mom the next day when she saw him, hair cut short, with tear-stained cheeks and a smile on his face. She gave him a hug and told him if he was happy, then she was too.He was grateful to be able to call Amber and TJ his friends.

Ever since the first day of first grade when he fell from the swings, they were there to pick him up. From then on, the three became best friends. Inseparable. And when he came out to them at 11, he was glad they still loved him for him. They helped him pick his name, and when they became Middle Schoolers, his mom and Dr. Metcalf helped him change his name on all school records as well as legally changing his name, which took a few months.

He was glad to have a support system, and he could only hope that Buffy would be part of it too.